Runaway
by chubbynlite
Summary: Jazmine's mother is a drug addict, her mother's boyfriend is her rapist and she's just trying to survive. *Juey* *Mature*
1. chapter 1

Sometimes, I wished that I could be that naive little girl back in Woodcrest. In the nice big house, a loving mother and father, a plethora of friends. But instead, I'm here, in one of the many projects that littered Chicago. My father had left my mom and my mom wasn't who I had thought her to be… she drank excessively, did any drugs she could get her hands on. There were always random men, in and out the house for one reason or another. It had only been a year since we left Woodcrest, but I felt like I had grown beyond my years since then. Sometimes the stress of everything just got to me and talking to my dad or to my best friend wouldn't do anything. I laid my head on my pillow, trying to hold back the tears. I could hear my mom out in the living room arguing with her newest boyfriend, Raekwon. Out of all the men she brought around, I hated him the most. He had given her another addiction; coke. He used her and beat her like a rag doll. He always made me feel gross like something was crawling under my skin and anytime he was around I wouldn't leave my room except to go to the bathroom. I always locked my room when he was here. Everything about him screamed danger and I was smart enough to follow my instincts.

I fell asleep wishing that I was back home, in my real home where I had good memories and feelings, not here with an addict for a mother and nothing to keep me sane.

I woke up to the creak of my door opening slowly, making me shoot up from my bed immediately. I let out a gasp as I saw Raekwon locking the door behind him. He turned to look at me, closing in on me and shoving me back onto my bed. I screamed, "MOM!" but I knew it wouldn't be any help, she would be too high to care in the first place.

I gasped again as he leaned over me, his weight crushing my body. I shook my head as he grabbed my cheeks roughly, squeezing the insides together. With his other hand, he started to undo his jeans, the jingling of his belt taunting my ears. I felt the tears fall down my cheeks as he yanked down my pajama pants and then my underwear.

I begged him not to, as much I as could with his hand squeezing my cheeks together. I kicked and slapped at him, but I was like a feather and he was like a rock.

A moment later I stopped fighting and he smirked. "You dumb bitch, did you think you could stop me?" he chuckled loudly as he slid inside me, a groan escaping his lips.

I felt like I was being torn in half. Like there was a fire inside of me and he was only adding more fuel to it. I counted down how long it took for him to finish. 240 seconds. Four minutes. I wanted to throw up as he filled me with his semen.

He climbed off me, pulling back up his boxers and jeans, buckling his belt. He tossed me a random shirt that was on my floor. "Clean yourself up. And don't you dare think about telling _anyone._ I'll kill _you_ and your mother." he chuckled again as he walked out of my room.

* * *

The next morning, I didn't leave my bed until I was sure I was home alone. I pulled the covers off of my body, startled at the blood that stained my thighs and sheets. The soreness that was in between my legs was _so painful._ I slowly climbed out of my bed, heading quickly to the bathroom so I could shower.

My mind raced as I stood under the slightly warm water, the dried blood rinsing away down the drain. What was I going to do? My mom… She wouldn't believe me. She wouldn't care. My dad… I didn't even want to waste his time. I didn't even know how to tell him.

Besides, I didn't want Raekwon to kill me or my mom, and I knew enough about him that he wasn't the one to play games. I cried in the shower, scrubbing at my body until the water chilled me to the bone.

I was shaken up. He had taken my innocence, something that I had wanted to share with someone special to me.

I turned off the water and stepped out of the tub to throw up into the toilet.

My mom's boyfriend raped me and there was nothing I could do about it.

When I finally felt composed enough to get up off the floor and get ready, I didn't care about school anymore. I didn't want to deal with it, I didn't want to deal with anything. I stood up from the floor, using the edge of the tub as leverage and shuffled into my room to curl back into a miserable ball. My mind raced around what happened last night, bringing myself to tears several times. Why did this happen to me?

My phone started buzzing obnoxiously and I picked it up with a sigh. It was Cindy, my best friend. "Hello?" I tried my best to sound as normal as possible, but it didn't seem like it was working.

"Jazmine, wassup with you?" she asked, worry seeping into her voice, "Are you good? You _never_ miss school."

"Yeah, I'm just a little sick… but, can you come over after school?" I asked. I would have to tell Cindy. I couldn't keep something this big to myself, it'd kill me inside.

"Of course, want me to pick you something up?"

I bit my bottom lip, a fire between my legs again and I almost burst out into a sob. "Plan B? I'll pay you back every cent, I promise."

I heard Cindy gasp in the background. "Shit. Yeah, I got you Jaz. I'll see you in a few hours."

I was grateful she didn't go into questioning me like crazy. I knew it was because she was at school, where anyone could overhear a conversation, but it did help me feel a little better in a sense.

The day slowly went by as I laid in my room, stuck with my own miserable company. I had lost track of time and when I heard the knock on my front door, I went into a panic, thinking maybe it was Raekwon. Then I remembered that I asked Cindy to come over. I got up and scrambled over to the front door, opening it quickly and pulling her in just as fast before slamming it shut. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, but I tried not to cry.

"Jaz?" Cindy looked at me and held the bag out. "Is there something you wanna tell me? What's wrong boo?" I shook my head as I took the bag from her hands and grabbed the box. I held it shakily in my hands and tried to gather the courage to look Cindy in the face. Then I broke out into a sob. The box dropped out my hands and Cindy closed the space between us and hugged me tightly, trying to calm me down. "Jazmine… you gotta tell me wassup or I can't help you."

"He-he raped me, Cin." I cried into her shoulder, not feeling any better than somebody else knew.

"What the fuck? Who?!" She snapped, her hold tightening around me on me.

"My mom's boyfriend…" I pulled away and picked up the box off the floor. I fumbled to get it open, "I need to hurry up and take this… I don't want to have his baby. I can't Cindy." I was shaking so much I couldn't open the box and Cindy took it away from me, opening it herself.

"Fuck. Jaz, you can't stay here. No way in hell I would ever let you stay here with that nigga. No way. You can stay with me? Will your mom even care?" She said, walking into the kitchen to get me a glass of water.

"No, of course, she wouldn't. She wouldn't know I was gone until she came down from a high." I took the glass of water from Cindy's hand and slowly took a sip before popping the medicine into my mouth.

"How does this even work?" I mumbled sheepishly. I knew that it could stop pregnancy from happening but other than that I was completely lost. Cindy turned the box over, reading the instructions, reading it word for word. " _You will know Plan B One-Step worked when you get your next period, which should come at the expected time, or within a week of the expected time. If your period is more than a week late, it is possible you may be pregnant. You should get a pregnancy test and follow up with your healthcare provider_."

"You mean I have to wait until my next period to even know?" This only made me cry harder. I had to wait another month? If it even worked…

"This is so fucked, I don't even know what to say." Cindy shook her head. "C'mon let's pack your stuff. You're staying with me and we gotta go before that piece of shit or your mom comes back."

I nodded and just followed her lead, getting my backpack and stuffing every important school-related thing inside. I shoved in as many clothes that could fit in the duffel bag, two pairs of shoes, anything that had any value to me. If I left anything that was worth something, I might never see them again if my mom got to it. I could always come right after school, to slowly move my things out. All I know is, as long as Raekwon was still around, I could never stay there.

When I got to Cindy's house, it was quiet, as usual. Her mom was always at work and her father wasn't around anymore. She was an only child, and she usually had the house to herself. No one would be here to question me, and if my mom didn't sober up, I would be fine as long as I went to school like normal. If I didn't do anything to raise suspicion, I would be safe.

"Sorry it's a mess girl, my mom been sleepin' on the couch when she gets home at night. Ugh… I gotta clean this shit up," she groaned as she started picking up the trash and clothes that surrounded the living room. I shrugged my shoulders, dropping my bag in her room before coming back to help her clean up.

"It's fine Cin. Just, thank you so much. This means the world to me. I had no idea what I was gonna do… if I had stayed there I… Who knows what would have happened."

"Of course, anything for my girl. And trust me, don't worry. I'ma get Riley and his niggas to fuck that asshole up, I promise," Cindy said angrily, her voice getting lower as she spoke.

My eyes popped open and I shook my head. "No, no, no Cindy you can't. You can't tell anyone. He said he'd kill me. He'd kill my mom."

I didn't know much about street life and how it worked, but I knew that Raekwon wasn't one to be fucked with.

"What the fuck? Did he really?" Cindy shouted, tossing the dirty clothes into a laundry bag while I tossed the garbage into a plastic bag. I couldn't say anything so all I did was nod my head. "You think there's any way your dad could come and get you?" Cindy said softly once we were sitting down on the couch, flipping through the channels on her TV.

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "I honestly could just leave if I wanted to. I'm eighteen. But I need to finish high school. And my dad… I love him, but I don't think I can live with him."

"I understand," Cindy mumbled as she wrapped her arms around me. "Just know, I'm here for you. Always."

"Thanks, Cindy." I nodded, feeling my eyes well up with tears again. I didn't know what to do, how I was going to get through this, but I did believe her when she said she would help me no matter what. Cindy was my best friend and she was with me through thick and thin.

* * *

The next few days were just a blur for me. I went to school every day like I always did. I was always so paranoid that someone would come into my class to ask me why I wasn't living at home, or that Raekwon would show up at my school asking why I wasn't around anymore. Cindy was with me whenever she was able to be, walked back to her house with me then back to school whenever she had basketball practice. I think she even told her boyfriend, Riley, he couldn't come over for a little while and I knew for a fact that he came over often.

I didn't mind Riley, even though I had only met him a few times. Cindy was my best friend, but Riley wasn't the type of person I hung out with. He was brash, had a terrible potty mouth and didn't have a care in the world from what I could tell. It also didn't help that he was in a gang. That had always prevented me from hanging out with her when he was around.

Other than that, I was always sad. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I was disgusted, angry, sad, and a bunch of other emotions that I couldn't even explain. I had thought about going to a teacher, or a guidance counselor but that wouldn't end up doing any good for me. I just needed to keep my mouth shut and live with what had happened to me.

* * *

It was Friday when I finally decided to go back home, right after school, so I could pick up a few more of my things. I told Cindy I'd meet her at her house in thirty minutes. I unlocked the door quietly and hurried in, expecting the house to be empty. I was almost to my room when I heard a dark chuckle.

My heart stopped, and I turned around slowly, the floorboards creaking underneath me. "Where have you been Jazmine? I missed you."

I shivered the way he said my name. I looked down, tears prickling my eyes. "Nowhere. I've been sleeping over at a friend's house."

"And you didn't even think about telling me? Even though we have this new relationship going on?" he sucked his teeth. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Relationship? No… You're my mom's boyfriend…" I stuttered over my words. That same sinking feeling came over me and I felt like sinking into the ground. I felt like running away. But now he was standing up, his figure standing over me.

"Yeah, but you're such a beautiful lil lady… I'd rather have you." he tilted my chin up with his finger. I avoided looking him in his eyes. "You're gonna have to make it up to me for leaving me like that. I had plans the other day, for us."

"No, Raekwon. Please don't. Please," I sobbed.

"Don't cry, baby… Don't cry," he said softly as he grabbed me by my hair and yanked me down, so I was on my knees. The sound of him unbuckling his belt rang through my ears and I started crying again. "Please no."

His pants dropped to the floor and then he forced himself into my mouth. I choked, gagged, cried, staying slack-jawed as he used me like a rag doll.


	2. chapter 2

**A/N: For any Runaway readers, I just replaced the last 19 chapters and pushed them into 2 chapters, to make the story flow a little better. I plan on writing since I'm out of school so hopefully, I'll get this story finished! Nothing has changed but I fixed a few errors and continuity issues, I suggest a reread to refresh your mind because the next chapter should be posted by this weekend.**

* * *

I sat on the floor for a while after that. I shouldn't have come without Cindy. She said that I should let her come with me, just in case and she was right. But what if she had been here? He probably just would've done the same exact thing to her and I would never forgive myself if that happened. I loved her way too much for that to happen. I leaned against the wall so I could hoist myself up. I dragged my feet to my room, grabbing another bag and stuffing it with everything I could fit in it.

I went into my mom's room where I knew she kept the money to supply her habit and took every single dime. I counted it quickly, it totaled almost four hundred dollars. It had been building up ever since she started dating Raekwon because he gave her everything for free or for cheap. I knew that once she noticed her money was gone, she would definitely notice I was gone. Then she would be looking for me. The first place she'd check would be Cindy's and by the time that happened, I didn't want to be there. The last thing I wanted was for Cindy to get into huge trouble. I sighed and started to leave the house, checking the window to make sure Raekwon was gone. Once the coast was clear, I was on my way to Cindy's.

I rushed into Cindy's house as soon as she opened the door. "Hol up, Jaz what happened?"

I shook my head quickly as I closed the door and locked it behind us. "I stole money from my mom and he's pissed off that I left." I bit my bottom lip, leaving out the part where he forced me to give him head. "I just don't want you to get involved with him, so… Do you know anywhere I can go? Anyone that'll take me in? Even if it's just for a little while. I'll get a job and support myself."

"Jazmine you know you don't gotta do all that just because…"

I cut her off. "Yes! I do. You'll just be put in danger. So please, Cin? I know you know someone."

She stayed silent a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah… I know someone. It's my boyfriend Riley. He lives with his brother and their granddad. They cool people."

I already knew I was crying. "Thank you, Cindy."

"Yeah…" she trailed off as she pulled her phone out and called who I could only assume was Riley.

The next few hours went by so slowly. Cindy was on and off the phone, obviously trying to talk and explain to Riley about my situation. I could tell by her tone that it wasn't going her way, which meant that they didn't want me to stay with them; for whatever reason. I laid in Cindy's bed, rolled up in a ball and under the blankets listening to everything going on. It took a good nine or ten phone calls before she said 'fuck it' and called someone else.

"Huey?! Thank god you answered. Did Riley talk to you?"

She snorted loudly, "Yeah, of course, he hasn't… Alright, I need you to do me solid."

"It's nothin' big. I'll owe you one forever."

"...Can my friend stay with you for a bit?"

"No, she's just working through some personal issues."

"Nah, she ain't crazy!" Cindy sighed and sucked her teeth. "All the shit I've done for you and Riley? Do me this one favor. Damn."

She didn't say anything for a good moment before she laughed. "Thanks, Huey! I swear I'ma get you back. Yeah, yeah. Wanna swing by here or want me to bring her to y'all? She has a lot of stuff… Okay. Yeah. See ya."

Cindy ran back into her room to where I was, a smile on her face. "So, Riley was being an ass but Huey said yeah! I didn't tell him all your business and you sure as hell don't gotta tell em, but yeah. They'll be here around eight. Wanna watch a movie?" She said softly, trying to lighten the mood.

A huge part of me wanted to say no, but she was trying. And that's what mattered. I sat up and nodded my head, smiling softly, "Yeah."

I wasn't expecting for Riley and his brother to get here so quickly, so when I woke up from my nap to see two guys sitting in the living room with me, I freaked out. I shouted and jumped up from the couch before Cindy grabbed my hand and tugged on my arm. "Relax Jaz, it's just Reezy and Huey. Okay?"

My heart was pounding in my chest and I sat back down, "Sorry." I mumbled. I felt silly, I knew what Riley looked like so why did I freak out like that? I glanced over at my bags that were at the front door and then back at the two guys.

"You good?" One of them asked me, his hair pulled back into a ponytail. That had to have been Huey, who looked like his brother if only a little older.

I nodded curtly, "Yeah I'm fine. Are we about to go?"

Riley chimed in, "Nah, we gonna chill for a lil bit then get going. That cool with you?" He arched his eyebrows, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. I nodded my head again. I didn't care when we did leave, as long as we were going.

For the next three hours, I was in and out of sleep. Riley, Cindy, and Huey had been talking about something quietly in the kitchen but I was too disoriented to catch any of it. I knew though, that it had to be something about me. Cindy said that she wouldn't tell them my business but honestly, it would be better for everyone if they knew since I knew that I wouldn't be able to tell them on my own.

When we were finally getting ready to leave, I gave Cindy a huge hug. I knew I'd see her by Monday at the latest but it still felt weird to be going to a complete stranger's home. I was putting a lot of faith in them and in her going through with this plan, but I knew it was this or nothing. "I'll see you, okay mama? Text me when you get there."

"Okay, thanks again, Cindy." I smiled as she shooed me away. "Don't worry about it. And y'all two better not fuck with Jaz or I'll beat your asses!"

"Babe shut up, runnin' yo mouth," Riley smirked as he kissed Cindy, which turned into something more than just a kiss.

Huey made a face and grabbed one of my bags. "Come on, they'll be a minute." I nodded and grabbed my other two bags and followed Huey to his car. Once we were finally in the car, Huey turned back to face me and said, "Cindy told me what happened… I'm just letting you know I'ma do my best to keep that from happening again. And if I don't, I'll deal with that sick bastard myself. So, don't worry. Okay?"

A blush rose to my cheeks as I nodded quickly and I turned away to look at the window, tears stinging at my eyes again.

I hoped that he really meant what he said.

I settled into the Freeman's place faster than I had thought. There was something comforting about their constant bickering between the three of them. I learned that Mr. Freeman was nicer than he sounded when he was talking to Huey and Riley. Riley wasn't nearly as abrasive as he seemed the few times I had met him before. And Huey… he was very protective. I couldn't really understand why, but it made me feel safer than I had my whole time in Chicago.

He made sure I was eating every now and then, made sure I got to and from school safely and I heard him check up on me at night sometimes. I only knew that because I had gone from sleeping all the time to never sleeping. I was up at all times of the night, only sleeping for a couple of hours.

And that's how I found myself in Huey's room, sitting at the opposite side of his bed. I had caught him checking up on me and I followed him back to his room.

He glanced up at me, "Why are you up?"

"I can't sleep anymore."

He paused for a minute and nodded his head, "That's understandable."

I felt warm in my heavy sweatpants and sweater, despite it being the beginning of summertime. "Why do you pay so much attention to me? When I first got here… I thought I'd just be living here and you would act like I didn't exist."

"Because I hate men who think they can take advantage of a woman without suffering the consequences. It's sick." He said angrily, his jaw clenching tightly.

I squeaked and looked away, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You didn't Jazmine. Sorry," Huey sighed softly. "I just want to make sure you're okay, is all."

"Thanks," I said quietly before I walked back to my room.

The next morning when I went downstairs, Mr. Freeman was the only person downstairs. That was something I had noticed, Huey and Riley were never home on the weekends and came home late night during the week.

"Good morning Mr. Freeman." I smiled at him as I headed into the kitchen.

"Morning cutie pie, how'd you sleep?" He took a sip of his orange juice and smiled back at me.

I shrugged, "I didn't really get any sleep last night," I paused for a minute then asked, "Where do Huey and Riley on the weekends?"

Mr. Freeman shook his head, "They out runnin' them damn streets… Them niggas gonna give me a damn heart attack one day, all the damn shit going on out there and they swear they invincible. Gonna end up just like they damn daddy." He kept mumbling on and on about something else until I changed the topic. I didn't want to make him upset.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about them. I had known Riley was in a gang, but Huey didn't really seem the type. I always saw him reading or working on stuff for school. He wasn't anything like Riley. But then again, running the streets didn't always mean being involved in a gang. Maybe Huey was a drug dealer, even though that wasn't any better. By the end of the night, I was panicking. I locked myself up in my room and over analyzed every situation. They were in a gang, Raekwon was in a gang. Even though they didn't seem like Raekwon, that meant next to nothing. They could be waiting, plotting for their moment just like Raekwon did to me. And if that was the case that meant I wasn't safe here.

* * *

Me and Riley were doing our third and last drop of the night, nothing too big but if I knew we were going to be doing this tonight, I would've stayed home. Then again who was I to complain? I needed whatever money I could get.

"So, wassup with Cindy's friend?" Riley asked me quietly. He was never quiet but I knew he felt bad for her. My brother, one of the most unforgiving niggas I knew, looked at Jazmine with pity every time he saw her. Maybe it was because rape was the reason our mom took her life.

Even though he had been too young to remember how she acted, how she cried randomly sometimes for seemingly no reason and was always covered up, even in ninety-degree weather, he knew. It was certainly a soft spot for us. I felt for anyone who had to go through something like that and I wished that it didn't exist. But we weren't powerful enough to get rid of something that tainted the whole world but we were powerful enough to change Jazmine's life.

"She's okay." I left out the part where she stayed up all night because then Riley would ask me how I knew. I put the car in park and we stepped out the car. We were in the meeting place and all we had to do was wait another two minutes for Alejandro to get here. We had the guns, he had the money. I was jittery though because I had always had a bad feeling about Alejandro. He was a slimy piece of shit, but who wasn't in this lifestyle?

Two minutes passed and a car turned down the desolate street, pulling up right behind us. Two fat guys stepped out and then Alejandro followed, looking like he was hopped up on drugs. I grit my teeth and nudged Riley, who simply nodded. "Aye, the Freeman brothers! Wassup?" Alejandro got two suits cases out the trunk and walked up to us, eyeing his men discreetly. "You got the stuff?"

"Course we do." Riley sucked his teeth. He kept watch of everything as I turned to grab the duffel bags full of guns. When I turned to hand Alejandro's two lackeys the bags in exchange for the money, he said something in Spanish and all three of them pulled out their guns.

"Get down Huey!" Riley shouted loudly, pulling his gun from his waistband and firing two rounds and hitting the big guy on the left. I cursed, threw the bags down and jumped back and opened the car door for cover. I slid my own gun out and peeked around the edge. _Fucking pieces of shit._ I thought to myself. Another four rounds went off, piercing through the metal of my door, grazing my left arm and right leg. I groaned in pain and shot blindly over the car door until my clip was empty. A window shattered and then there was a heavy thud.

"You dumb ass fuck nigga!" Riley yelled as he shot Alejandro point blank in the foot. He screamed as he dropped down to the ground. Riley ran over to him and kicked away the three guns and then put his own back in his waistband. "You wanna pull this bullshit? Shoot my fucking brother?" Riley slammed a fist into his face. Again and again and again.

It wasn't until I managed to limp behind Riley that he calmed down. Alejandro's face was a bloody pulp as he wheezed loudly for breath. He rolled over on his side and held his hand up in defeat. I looked over the other two, noting one was dead while the other was just barely breathing. Riley spit on Alejandro as he picked up the suitcases of money and put them in our trunk along with the duffel bags. We got into the car and he sped off back to base.

"You good?" He asked as he got back in from delivering the money and guns back to Gin and Ed and explaining the story to them. What Alejandro did wouldn't go unnoticed so we didn't have to worry about that. While I sat in the car I found a piece of cloth in the back to tie around my thigh to stop the bleeding. My arm still bled sluggishly but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been half an hour ago. I felt like I was about to pass out but all I could think about is that it was a great thing we didn't do the trades in Granddad's car or _he_ would have killed us for those bullet holes. I shook my head, mumbling something that didn't really make sense. I would just have to hold on until we got home.

"Hold on Huey, you'll be straight… we just gotta stitch you up," Riley mumbled as he helped me out the car. The blood was slowing down but I was getting worse. As my head lolled around I took note of Riley's busted, bloody knuckles. We walked in as quietly as possible so we didn't wake Granddad. We made our way to the downstairs bathroom and I sat on top of the toilet lid.

This had happened before, one of us had gotten hurt and we had to deal with it ourselves. The last thing we would do is go to the hospital, especially for a gunshot wound. That'd just get reported and then we would get caught.

I don't know how many minutes passed but as Riley was stitching up my arm I heard a soft voice. "What happened?"

Riley grit his teeth, "He got hurt." I wanted to tell him not to talk to her like that, but I knew he was tired, worried, and angry. Besides, I wasn't in much of a place to say anything.

"You're not doing the stitches close enough…" Jazmine trailed off quietly. She nudged in the small bathroom and washed her hands before taking the needle and thread from Riley and taking his place. She was right, he always did do a sloppy job with stitches. I tried to keep my eyes open as her soft, warm hands worked across my skin slowly. Once she finished my arm she made Riley get some scissors and she cut my jeans to get to the oozing wound.

I don't remember much of what happened after but I know that she cleaned up Riley's knuckles, even bandaging them up for him.

When I woke up I was on my bed and Jazmine was leaning against the wall across my bed. I groaned as I felt the throbbing pain in my arm and leg. "There's water and some Advil right there. I just put some numbing cream on your wounds but I didn't think it was really gonna help."

I nodded, taking the pills and then downing my water. I took a deep breath. "Thanks."

She simply nodded before leaving.

The rest of the day was spent in and out of sleep. I'd heard Riley and Granddad arguing a few times and Jazmine shuffling around in her room but that was it. I didn't get out of bed until it was well past dark.

When I finally went downstairs Grandad was sitting in his recliner, watching TV. "You must think I'm a damn idiot." He said loudly, turning off the TV as soon as he noticed me. "Y'all think I don't know about the shit y'all out there doing? That's the same shit that got my son, yo daddy, shot! Running them streets ain't _worth_ it boy." I just nodded my head, listening to his rant as I limped over to the kitchen to get something to eat. As I rummaged through the fridge, I realized my appetite was next to nothing. I turned back around and started to limp back to my room. My Granddad shook his head angrily. "Boy, don't you ignore me. This ain't the way to live. We can leave and move somewhere better. All this bullshit here is going to get you and your brother killed!"

I shouted angrily. "So stop preaching to us, like you were a saint when you were our age!"

He always had something to say. He always had to bring up our dad, which made me think about my mom. It was my dad's fault for what happened to our mom so it was his fault she wasn't here with us anymore. Everything was all his fault. I didn't like doing what I did, but it was what worked. It's what helped put food in the fridge, pay rent, pay for his medical bills. It might not have been the best option but at least we could live comfortably. And here, we didn't even have much of a choice. Riley was the first to join, always enticed by the streets. It took me two years after him to join, two years of barely leaving the house and avoiding anybody that tried to ask what I repped. I didn't plan on staying here, Granddad knew that. I had plans, I was going to go to school, get a degree and be somewhat normal and somewhat successful. So I didn't appreciate the constant reminders of the past and my current wrongdoings.


	3. chapter 3

**I know I said I'd update last weekend but I wasn't feeling the direction this chapter was going in so I rewrote it! I'm much more satisfied with this. Side note: I updated one thing from the first chapter - how long Jazmine had to wait for her period. It said two weeks but I changed it to a month. I wanted to touch on it but I simply forgot, and I already skipped time in this chapter. But that's it, enjoy! R &R :)**

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I hadn't said anything to Huey since him and Riley came back last night. I hadn't been asleep and I had heard them pull up in front of the house, so when I went to peek out the window and saw Riley hoisting Huey out of the car, I knew something was wrong. I paced around my room, trying to gather up the courage to go downstairs and do what I could to help. I listened as I heard them shuffle into the house and knew I needed to hurry up.

I took a deep breath and fixed my oversized sweatshirt and left the room and walked downstairs quietly. It was dark, but I could see that they were in the downstairs bathroom so I headed over. The first thing I saw was Huey, his eyes lidded and head nodding all over the place. My eyes trailed down to where Riley's hands were, covered with blood with a needle and string in his hands as he tried to sew shut a wound on Huey's left arm. I crossed my arms, "What happened?"

I jumped back when Riley snapped at me, "He got hurt."

I just nodded and walked further into the small bathroom to wash my hands, pushing my sleeves up my arms. "You're not doing the stitches close enough," I mumbled softly. Riley moved so I could take his place and I started to undo what Riley had done. I wanted to laugh a little, before leaving Woodcrest, I had actual aspirations to be a nurse. At least I could help someone just once. I took my time, being gentle as possible before tying off the knot on his arm.

"I need scissors, so I can get to his legs." I glanced at Riley, who didn't have a mean look on his face for once as he went to go grab a pair of scissors. Once he came back with them, I cut through Huey's jeans, hoping that he wouldn't be too upset that I cut them off. I grab the bottle of hydrogen peroxide on the counter and cleaned the wound as best as I could before doing it again with rubbing alcohol. Again, I was gentle and took my time, to make them as neat as possible. Once I finished, I wiped off both the wounds again and turned to look at Riley. "Are you okay?"

He didn't look as bad as Huey, but I was willing to help him if he needed it. I glanced down at his knuckles, looking at how busted they were. I didn't say anything as I pulled him closer to me and started cleaning his hands. I grabbed the small tube of first aid cream and applied it all over before wrapping both hands with the small wad of gauze that was left. "There you go," I said softly before washing my hands one more time and then leaving to go back to my room.

It wasn't until after I knew that both the Freeman brothers were in their respective rooms that I went into Huey's… just to check up on him. He had gotten hurt and I had no idea how much blood he had lost, if anything were to happen to him I could get help. At least that's how I rationalized it. He had made an effort to take care of me, so why wouldn't I do it for him? Even if it was just this one time. I grabbed the Advil I knew I had somewhere in my bag and some numbing cream to rub on his wounds. I went into his room quietly, closing the door behind me and placing the Advil on his nightstand as I rubbed the cream on his arm. He looked peaceful like there wasn't anything wrong in the world. It was nice to see him like this, without a guard up. I sighed to myself and sat down against the wall, leaning my head back to close my eyes. I knew I wasn't going to sleep, especially at this point, and there were only a few hours until sunrise. There was no telling when Huey would actually wake up but I would stay with him until he did.

The next few hours crept by slowly, and I spent them playing on my phone and making sure Huey was actually breathing. When it finally sounded like he was going to wake up soon, I went down to the kitchen to get him and a cold glass of water so he could swallow down the Advil. I brought it back up to his room and placed it on the nightstand and went back to my spot for another three hours.

I knew he was awake when he started to groan. I had put the numbing cream on a few times during the night but that wasn't going to help much considering they were bullet wounds. "There's water and some Advil right there," I pointed to the spot next to him. "I just put some numbing cream on your wounds but I didn't think it was really gonna help."

He looked down, obviously in pain as he gulped down his water and pills, "Thanks."

I just nodded and got up to leave. I wanted to talk to him, but I felt like now wasn't really the right time. He had just woken up and he was very obviously okay so there was no need for me to linger. For all I knew, he didn't even want my company. I sighed to myself as I closed the door to my current room behind myself and locked it.

I felt safe here, but locking it helped me make sure that nothing was going to catch me by surprise.

My day was eerily quiet. I heard Riley and Mr. Freeman argue a few times, but nothing from Huey. I figured he was just going to stay in his room all day and recoup to the best of his abilities. It was until after it got dark that I heard Huey get out and go downstairs, which led to an argument about what he and Riley did. I wasn't planning on leaving the room but Huey came up the steps in a rush and I heard him fumble.

I felt my heart slamming against my ribcage as I jumped up from the bed and opened my door to help him. He was leaning against the wall, grasping his leg. "Are you okay?" I asked quickly, hesitating momentarily before went over to wrap his arm around my shoulder and tried to support him to his room the best that I could.

He chuckled, "I don't think you can actually support me. I'm fine, Jazmine."

"Your leg though?" I said softly, trying not to feel offended. I knew I wouldn't be much help but it wasn't like I didn't help at all.

"This isn't the first time, but thank you. All Riley does is make sure that I'm not dead and calls it a day." He hobbled over to his room, leaning against the doorframe. He didn't say anything but he looked at me, his eyes too intense for me to make eye contact for longer than a second or two. "Are you doing anything?"

I felt my face go red, then my chest and I shook my head, "Why?"

"You're always in your room… you only leave to eat, use the bathroom and go to school. You don't have to stay in there. I mean I know it might be hard for you, but you don't have to be alone. I know my granddad hogs the living room, but he would give it up for you if you asked him. And you can always come in my room to watch TV or grab a book or something. Even when I'm not here. Just knock if I am."

"Thank you, Huey," I smiled, still not able to really look at him.

"I'm rambling, I lost a lot of blood last night didn't I?" He hobbled into his room and onto his bed and I followed him just to the doorframe.

"It was pretty bad when I showed up at the bathroom. I had heard you guys and it sounded bad so I had to see if everything was okay. I'm glad that I came down when I did. I should probably teach Riley how to do stitches the right way, it's not like I'll be here forever."

"I don't think Granddad minds, he really likes you." Huey took another Advil and nodded his head in the direction of his desk. "You can sit down over there, you don't have to stand."

I nodded and sat down at the desk, feeling happy to have an actual conversation that lasted more than a minute or two. It wasn't that nobody tried but it seemed like they didn't really know how to talk to me in the first place. Huey didn't act like that. He was aware, but it wasn't everything and it felt comforting. "He told me, but this is your house. He won't take any of my money either. I talked to my dad the other day… he said he would be okay with me going back home. All I have to wait is for school to end and we're a few weeks away from that."

"Where are you from, anyway?"

"Maryland. A really small town called Woodcrest." I had never really told anybody about myself before living here. It was almost as if I separated the two completely. Besides, no one ever really asked. Now that I thought about it, my only friend was Cindy.

"Was it nice?" He looked at me, his eyes genuinely curious.

"It was really nice. Both my parents were lawyers and I was an only child. I mean, I'm not anymore. My dad remarried and he has a kid who's a few months old now." I was wary of talking about my parents, knowing that at the very least that Huey's wasn't around.

"So your parents divorced?"

"Yeah," I shook my head, "My mom was really shitty. She is really shitty."

"How come?"

"She always had a wandering eye. My dad got tired of it. She ended up getting fired from her job and I doubt she'll ever be able to work at another reputable law firm again and for some reason, she came to Chicago, of all places. I think someone convinced here to move over here and then dumped her once we got here. My dad was really done with her at that point so he wouldn't give her any money."

"You don't have to go back to her, you know," Huey said knowingly.

"I don't plan on it," I grit my teeth. I wasn't angry at him but the idea of even living with my mom made me want to throw up. I would never want anything to do with her and any love we had was destroyed. I hoped with all my heart that the drugs killed her.

"Didn't mean to get you upset," he paused, "I just don't know anything about you is all."

So, I told him everything about my childhood and back home. Mostly because I wanted to relive it and not because he asked. I rambled on and on, and I probably overshared a lot but he didn't interrupt me once or look like he was judging me. I told him about my aspirations about going into health care, and how before moving here I had a perfect 4.0 GPA, was in a bunch of clubs and the president of my class. I had so many great things going for me. I was going to go to college, do great things.

For hours, this went on until I realized I had been sitting in the room with Huey for a good two and a half hours. I stood up, "I think I rambled about myself enough. I'm sorry," I laughed for the first time in awhile, a genuine laugh that made my heart feel good.

"It's fine, but it is late," he propped himself up a little bit more." Oh, and Jazmine, you can still go to college and 'do great things'."

I wanted to cry a little, but I just nodded my head and said goodnight. He was right, I could still go to college and do what I wanted to do with my life.

It had taken almost a month for me to finally feel safe at school. A month of me constantly peeking over my shoulder thinking that Raekwon would be at my school, or better yet, someone who he was in charge of. I was even more worried that my mom would show up to the school, half high or half drunk and asking for me. I had finally stopped worrying, I was safe. I was paying attention at class and actually talking during lunch. I didn't have to try to hide in the crowd when I was in the hallways It felt really relieving to not have to worry.

I should have known that that wouldn't have lasted.

Can Jazmine DuBois please come to the front office.

I slowly made my way to the main office, cringing at the screaming that I heard coming from two halls down.

"WHERE IS JAZMINE? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER AT!? I HAVEN'T SEEN HER IN WEEKS? WHERE IS SHE? WHY HAVEN'T YOU CALLED ME?" It was definitely my mom. She had definitely come out of her drug-induced stupor and noticed that I was gone. I rounded the corner, wanting to cry just looking at her. My mom had always been small but she was unbelievably skinny. Her hair was dirty, her clothes were even worse. She hadn't even tried to put on a front. Was this how bad she had gotten. She finally turned around and saw me, relief and anger coming to her eyes. "Jazmine. Jazmine sweetie, where have you been? Mommy's been looking for you," she whined as she wrapped me up in a hug.

I immediately pulled away from her. There was desperation in her eyes, she wanted her next hit and she wanted it soon. I had learned to know the look so well. It made me wonder, did Raekwon leave permanently or just wean her off just enough to notice that I was nowhere to be found?

"Where have you been Jazmine," my mom repeated again, trying to grab at me. I ducked her and stepped back, glancing at the two women in the small main office. They looked extremely worried and one of them shot me a knowing look. Where was the security that was always all over the place?

"I'm not going home with you," I swirled stepped back again, bumping into the wall.

"Excuse me? How dare you," my mom snapped, raising her hand up above me, "Raekwon says you've been gone for over a month! You didn't even tell me anything! Don't you know how worried I was about you?!"

"Ma'am, please lower your hand," one secretary said. The other one was calling for the deputy on campus, immediately.

"I'm not going home with you ever!" I screamed, bringing my hand up and ready to block whatever she planned on doing. I was so scared I could feel my heart in my ears and everything else sounded like whispering. Why did this have to happen? The rest of my class and I could've been back at the Freeman's, safe and sound.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" My mother brought her hand down and I winced but ducked down and under her arm before jumping back behind her. The secretaries were wild behind her, and I could hear running down the hallway outside the office. She was really going to hit me. I could barely feel the tears that rolled down my cheeks.

"Jazmine!?" I heard two voices say and I looked towards the door only to see Cindy and Huey. I could see Cindy dropping everything she was doing and just walking out the class as soon as she heard my name, but Huey? It was completely unexpected.

Cindy sucked her teeth, "What the fuck! Why is she here?" she looked at me, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back as tightly as I could.

My mom turned and hissed at Cindy, "You! I knew you were a bad influence on my daughter! I should have told her to leave your sorry ass alone!"

Cindy looked at the secretaries, "All the pigs y'all got all over this school and where are they now?! This woman is batshit crazy and ain't nobody here to stop her!"

"Excuse me? Crazy? I'm here for my daughter! Now come here, Jazmine!" My mom shouted as she yanked at my arm. I felt Cindy lift her arm from me and heard a hard smack.

"You crazy ass fuckin' druggie, don't touch Jaz," Cindy snapped. I don't know why but I couldn't find it in myself to stop crying. I knew there were people gathering around outside in a span of five minutes.

For the first time since I saw him in the doorway, Huey had said something. "Come on Jazmine I'm taking you home."

I looked up at him, Cindy loosening her hold on me and placing herself between me and my mother.

"And who are you? Are you some kind of slut Jazmine? Fucking around to have somewhere to stay? You have a home here, with me! I bet your father would be ashamed to learn his daughter was a whore." My mom spat at me, each word building up inside me until I shoved past Cindy and pushed my mother back with all the strength I had in my little body. I watched as she fell to the floor, caught off guard but not being strong enough to support herself anyways.

"Fuck you! How dare you say anything like that to me! Do you know what he did to me, Mommy? Do you know what Raekwon did to me?! All because of you! It's you! You ruined me! I hate you. I hate you, Sarah!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I wish I could have found it in myself to kick her, to do something more, but I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me and lift me up. It had to be Huey, so I let him. He carried me out into the hall and I heard Cindy sniffling behind us. The cops had finally decided to show up and I watched as they halfway ran into the office to grab my mother up.

"Jazmine, relax," Huey mumbled in my ear, finally letting me on my feet and letting go of me.

"You gonna go home?" Cindy said as she glanced back behind us. My mom had started screaming again.

"Yeah, I got her. Go back to class," Huey said quietly, still walking in the direction of the exit.

Cindy sighed and shook her head, "Alright. Text me if you need me Jaz, I'll be over after practice, alright?"

"Yeah." I nodded quietly and waved as she turned back around to go back to class. I heard Huey sigh himself and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led us out the school.

"You sure you okay?" He asked quietly, walking briskly to the parking lot. If we got caught for skipping we'd get in big trouble.

"I'm fine. Can we get stop to get some food?" I wiped my eyes again, still wet with tears. Huey had said yes and I was grateful I hadn't spent my ten dollars on something at lunch. I got into the passenger side of his car and he pulled out of his spot. We ended up going to Wendy's and when I offered my ten dollar bill and pushed it away, pulling money out of his own wallet to pay for me. "Huey, you really don't have too…"

"It's fine, my treat," he said as he handed me my drink and my bag of food. I thanked him and held the bag of food in my lap. He turned up the music a little bit and started to head back in the direction of home. It was when we were halfway home when he finally said something, right as he made a sharp turn. "Shit."

"What?" I shouted, holding onto the side of the door to keep my balance.

"Someone is following us."

I felt the panic bubble up in my chest. Someone was following us? My first thought was that it'd be my mom or Raekwon. Then I remembered that Huey was caught up in the streets too and that it could have something to do with him and nothing with me. Somehow, that made it even worse. But my gut was telling me it had something to do with me. I turned around and glanced past the seat but I didn't recognize the person that was in the car behind us.

Huey snapped, "Don't turn around again," then more softly he said, "But he's three cars back."

"Do you know who it is?"

"Your mom is in the passenger seat," he said angrily. "Fuck. I need to call Riley. I swear if this nigga tries to pull anything." Huey grabbed his phone out his pocket, unlocked it and handed it to me, "Call Riley, put the phone on speaker."

I grabbed his phone, my hands shaking so bad that I almost dropped it on the floor. I searched for his name and called him. I had to call three times for him to even answer, "Damn nigga, what the fuck you want? I'm in class and now she bout to bitch me out."

"Riley you need to get home. Some shit happened and I had to take Jazmine back home but now they're following us. I don't have my gun in the car. Call Gin Rummy or Ed and ask if they can send someone to watch our house for Granddad. I'm gonna drive around for awhile so call me when you get there, okay?"

"Man, fuck. Okay." Riley sucked his teeth and hung up.

"Gun? How's Riley going to get back home? I'm so sorry." I said quickly, scared that this was happening and sad that I had brought the Freeman's into something they had nothing to do with.

"Relax," Huey said, making a left turn. "I know who Raekwon is, I'm not an idiot but he's crazy if he thinks he's about to pull up to my house. And I'm not gonna let him take you. But I don't want to be caught off guard and I don't want anything to happen to Granddad. And I can't protect you by myself."

"Okay," I nodded my head. I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to cry. I grabbed my phone and texted Cindy. She replied immediately and she kept me from breaking down for the next fifteen minutes until Riley finally called. Then five minutes later we were in front of the house, Riley sitting outside on the porch.

"C'mon, I want to get you in the house before he gets here and he's about to turn the corner," Huey said quickly, climbing out the car and rushing over to my side but it was too late. A car screeched up into the sidewalk right in front of their house, Raekwon's car.

"Jazmine, where you been?" Raekwon said, a smirk on his face.

I froze up but Huey grabbed me, pulling me along.

Raekwon got out the car, my mom following suit, already in hysterics. But I couldn't pay attention to her with Raekwon standing a few feet away from me. I could barely feel anything by my heart trying to lurch out my throat. All I wanted to do was drop down into a ball. "I know you know who I am lil nigga, give me the girl."

Huey snapped, handing me off to Riley, "She's not going nowhere with you. So leave. Don't start none, won't be none."

Raekwon laughed and shook his head, "I could kill both you nappy headed niggas right now. Now hand over Jazmine." He took three full steps and closed the gap between me and him, snatching me out of Riley's hands.

"Get the fuck off of her," Huey shouted, running over and shoving Raekwon back, grabbing me by my arm and putting me behind him. Riley stepped in front of him, pulling two guns out his waistband and pointing them at Raekwon.

"Leave nigga. Jazmine's not going with yo old ass so get to steppin'. You and that dusty ass snowflake you got. I don't give a fuck who you is." Riley snapped.

"You really wanna do this? Think again young blood. I been in these streets before you were born. You gonna start some with me? Huh? You think I'm scared to die? SHOOT ME, nigga. DO IT," Raekwon shouted, his chest huffing heavily. "You think that bitch is worth it? Which one of you lil niggas is she fucking? Or is it both of you?" He turned to look at me and Huey shielded me from his eyes. I could feel Huey shaking and I rubbed his elbow softly. I don't know why, but I wanted to comfort him. I had to.

"That little lightskin bitch let me fuck and she sucked me good," Raekwon chuckled to nobody but himself. For the first time since they got out the car, my mom had finally shut up. I couldn't see her but I had a feeling that she was looking in my direction.

Then I heard Huey let out a shaky breath and he pushed me back a step before he stepped past Riley, grabbing one of his guns. He pulled the safety and shut the gun into the air. "You think I won't shoot?" Nobody moved but my mom screamed, cowering back towards the car. Raekwon laughed again. I knew he always kept a gun on him but I didn't know why he hadn't pulled it out yet. Huey pointed it lower, shooting it right next to Raekwon's foot. "Get the fuck out of here."

"Haha, alright. Alright, young blood. You did this." He shook his head like he was disappointed but the smile was still on his face. He pulled at my mom, "Let's go, Sarah. Now."

She replied a meek yes and climbed into his car. He pulled off and zoomed off. But even after he was gone I was stuck in my spot unable to move. People were staring out their windows, a few brave ones were peeking their heads out the door. I heard Riley suck his teeth.

"This some fucking bullshit. You know what we just started? Fuck. FUCK. We ain't gone be safe out here nigga! And for what? Cause of her? You shoulda handed her ass the fuck over. Fuck." He kicked at the ground, staring at me angrily as he walked past me and storming into the house.

Even after that, I still couldn't move. I looked up at Huey, sobbing, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I kept repeating myself, unable to muster any other words.

He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me so tight I almost lost my breath. He shook his hands and buried his face into my neck. "I know what I was getting myself into. It's okay. Stop crying, it's okay."


	4. Chapter 4

All I could think about was how I just messed up everyone's lives. The Freeman's, Cindy's, mine… I should have left when I had the chance. My dad would have gotten me back into school, I could've gone so many routes but I chose to stay. And now everyone was going to pay for it. Huey was hugging me so tight, I felt like I could barely breathe.

"Huey," I mumbled, finally able to stop apologizing profusely.

He pulled away from me, looking at the wet spot on his shirt from my tears, "Yeah?"

"I'm okay," I took a step back from him. I felt my face get red, he had hugged me, held me while I cried and I hadn't even given it a second thought. I was so worried I would never be completely normal again around guys, but maybe that wouldn't be the case eventually. "I'm so sorry. If I leave now, maybe this will all go away for you guys."

"It's past that, it's not even about you now," Huey shook his head back and forth. His fists were balled up at his side and he was still breathing heavy, obviously trying to calm himself down. "Fuck. Fuck, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do."

"Huey, I can leave," I repeated myself. "I-I have money. I'll pack my stuff and go to my dad's. I'll explain everything to him. He'll get the cops involved, it'll be fine."

"I don't want you to leave, Jazmine. I don't want that," he relaxed his hands and grabbed my forearms. The touch sent shivers up my arms and spine and I instinctively pulled back. He stepped back and rubbed his forehead, "I'm sorry. Let's go inside," he mumbled before turning around and heading inside. I followed after him, repeatedly checking back over my shoulder until I finally got inside. I locked the door after me and turned around, Robert was yelling, trying to figure out what was going on, Riley was yelling at nobody in particular, tossing things around and Huey was trying to diffuse the situation.

"You really wanna know what happened Granddad? Go ask that yellow bitch standing by the door. It's her fucking fault we all got a fucking target over our heads." Riley snapped, pointing at my direction. I was never particularly a bold person, but I would have never let anybody speak about me like that, especially to my face. I just couldn't find it in myself to say something and stand up for myself because he wasn't wrong. I felt like jelly, about to melt into the ground and ready to burst into tears again.

"Don't talk about her like that," Huey snapped loudly, stepping up to Riley.

"Oh and what? Are you really fucking like that old nigga said you were? Get the fuck out my face Huey," Riley balled his fists and before I could even blink, Huey swung and punched Riley in the face. I gasped loudly and ran over, Robert holding his cane up and shaking his head at me. They went at each other, tripping and tumbling over furniture, throwing punches at each other's faces and bodies.

Robert dropped his cane and stood up as straight as possible, something that I hadn't seen him do in all my time of being here. He winced slightly and yelled loudly, "BOYS! Stop all that fightin' NOW!" It took a few seconds but they looked at him, both dropping their hands at their sides and standing up straight. I wanted to go to my room, it didn't feel right watching something that was between family, but I didn't dare move an inch. I could barely see Riley and Huey since their backs were facing me but I could only imagine how bad the damage was, they weren't holding back.

Robert, sat down in his recliner, shaking his head, "Now both of you need to sit down and tell me what the hell is going on. You too, sweetie pie, come sit down with us." I shakily moved into the living room, sitting on the far end of the couch. Huey sat down next to me and Riley decided to stand until Robert snapped at him and he sat down beside Huey.

Robert looked at all three of us, mostly Riley and Huey, expectantly but no one said anything. I cleared my throat, "This is all my fault. I don't know if you know why I'm here but my mom came to the school, and that ended with her boyfriend following us back here. He was only here for me but Huey stood up for me, and he pissed him off. Mr. Freeman, I'm so sorry, I can understand if you don't want me to be here anymore-" I could feel myself talking faster and faster until he cut me off.

"Now, relax. This was bound to happen sooner or later, running the streets don't do anybody no good. We can deal with this and find some way to figure it out," Robert said calmly, his face set in stone.

"That's some bullshit, I know you know who Raekwon is. He's gonna kill all of us Granddad." Riley snapped again. Huey side-eyed him, looking like he was ready to fight again if any bad-mouthing started up again. "I need to go so I can pick Cindy up, I don't want anything to happen to her."

Robert nodded his head once and Riley got up. Huey sighed and glanced out the window, "James is still out there. Go with him. Call me if anything happens." Riley just nodded his head and left, not even caring about the bruised face and busted lip he sported. I had forgotten that someone came for backup. What happened to them helping out when what just happened went down?

"Huey, the last thing you need to do is be fighting with your brother. You guys need to cooperate. I don't want any more of that going out on the weekends and at night, it's not going to do any good."

"You think that matters? He could shoot us up at school," Huey retorted, leaning forward and wincing slightly.

"Shut the hell up boy, you think I don't know that? My priority is making sure y'all stay alive, nothing else. Regardless, you both need to get out them streets. It's not the world. All this bullshit and this is what it gets you. You got a good damn head on your shoulders, and it's going to go to waste. You're going to end up dead or in jail, and which one looks like it's approaching faster?"

"Granddad, I wasn't going to let Raekwon take Jazmine."

"I ain't say a damn thing about that. Let me tell you something, I don't know what cutie-pie here means to you, but this isn't something you need to be dealing with. I was willing to let her stay here, but it's obviously much more serious than I thought it was." Robert looked at me sadly, looking like he wanted to apologize and I felt my stomach drop. He was going to kick me out, this was it. I didn't even blame him, but I wasn't expecting it. I had grown used to the Freemans, close to Huey and Robert. "Jazmine, I'm sorry this is happening but you need to get the right people involved, and it ain't Huey. This is bigger than you can handle alone."

"I understand Mr. Freeman," I choked back tears, "I truly am sorry, I wish none of this would have happened."

"I'm not mad at you, and I will help you in any way that I can but I need to make sure that my grandsons are going to be okay."

I didn't bother to say anything, just nodded and folded my hands in my lap, twiddling my thumbs. To my surprise, Huey's laid his hand over mine and squeezed them gently. "Granddad please let her stay. I promise I will deal with this. I want all of you safe and I'll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen."

I looked over at Huey, his left cheek was swollen and bruised and a small trickle of blood was dried up from a split by his eyebrow. Robert sighed and shook his head, "I… okay. Only because I can't do any better. Please, keep you and your brother alive." He grabbed his cane and stood up slowly before walking off to his room and closing the door.

"Huey, just know I will never forgive myself for all this," I said after sitting in silence right next to him for what felt like forever. It almost made me wish that Riley would come barging in, because then at least Cindy would be there. She was probably at practice, and almost nothing took her away from practice.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't even know how to say this. I don't want to make you uncomfortable but I need you to know you're worth it."

"What?" I asked quietly, more confused than ever.

"At first, I just felt bad for you. The same thing that happened to you, happened to my mom. I wanted to protect you from that, even though I didn't know you. I didn't really think anything of you, but I got to know you and you are so smart, so thoughtful. You have a light in you, something that I saw in myself just a few years ago, that doesn't deserve to be dimmed. I will make sure that this gets dealt with."

A warm feeling blossomed in my chest and I turned my head slightly to look away from the intensity of Huey's eyes. Still, I shook my head. "This is so much worse than that. Raekwon will kill you, Riley, Cindy and your granddad. I will go back and I'll find a way to get out of it on my own."

"Are you crazy? You don't have to go back to that Jazmine," Huey said, almost shouting at me. He checked himself before continuing, "Don't subject yourself to what he will do to you."

"I'll get out of it. I'll tell my dad how important it is before I go, and it'll be dealt with in no time. I'll survive. I should have done that in the first place, I was an idiot not to go and tell my dad. Just because I didn't want to bother him."

Huey spent the next ten minutes trying to talk me out of it, but I had already made up my mind. I told him that I wouldn't go along with my plan, but tonight I would leave once I knew for sure everyone was asleep. It made me scared, to go back to Raekwon and my mom knowing that what would happen to me would be ten times worse but I was willing to go through more if it meant that four people close to me wouldn't lose their lives.

Once Cindy and Riley came back, the first thing that Cindy did was come and hug me. We sat and cried on the couch. I could only imagine how scared that she was, which only made me feel worse and really decide that I would have to go through with my plan. I'd have to work around Riley and Huey, but it was obvious by their tense discussion that they wouldn't be home for most of the night. I could only hope that they wouldn't have someone watching the house so that I could sneak out when they were gone.

For the rest of the evening, it was really tense. Riley eventually took Cindy home once she had calmed down. Huey was in his room and had been holed up in there for hours at this point and as far as I knew, Riley was back in his room too. It was already past midnight and they still hadn't managed to leave and I was getting closer and closer to talking myself out of not going by the second.

I took a deep breath, opened my door as quietly as I could and crept down the steps quietly. I put on the shoes I had by my door and unlocked it slowly so it didn't click too loud. I only opened up the door enough for my body to slip out before letting it close. I locked it with the spare key they had given me a few weeks ago and dug up a small hole in the dirt with my foot before tossing it in and covering it back up. Riley room faced the back of the house but Huey's faced the front. I didn't want him to look out and see me so I stayed against the house, walking slowly until I ran to the sidewalk and down the street and around the corner. It was hot and the streets were busy, so instead of walking, I took the bus as close as I could.

I felt sicker the closer I got to what could only be called my personal hell. I physically felt like I was going to throw up. I almost didn't get off at my stop but I forced myself up, wobbly legs and all, and slowly made my way back to my moms house. I could see Raekwon's car on the street and I held back tears as I walked up to the dingy door and knocked on it.

There was fumbling around inside before I heard footsteps head towards the door.

"Look who decided to show up," Raekwon chuckled as he looked down at me.

I grit my teeth, forcing out the last bit of bravery I had in my body and looked him right in his eyes. "I'll come back only if you leave my friends alone."

"As long as you don't pull that disappearing act again, I'll let them alone. Now get in the house."

I squeaked and nodded before ducking into the house. My mom was in the living room, watching tv and pushing food around on the plate she had in her hand. "Jazmine, sweetie. You're back. I'm so sorry about today, I promise it'll never happen again… I just missed you so much."

I wanted to roll my eyes and flick her off. She would be on a bender again in no time and be out of it for who knows how long. The only reason she wasn't high right now was because Raekwon wanted it to be that way. I simply nodded, freezing when I felt Raekwon's hand land on the small of my back. "Why don't you go get some food from the kitchen. Sit down and eat with us."

I nodded tersely and headed off to the small kitchen to see the KFC sitting on the counter. I grabbed a cold piece of chicken and a scoop mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. I would force myself to play nice and stomach this food even if it killed me. I sat down in the living room next to my mom, who was still pushing food around her plate.

"So Jazmine, I know you didn't let one of those little boys get inside you, right?" Raekwon asked me, looking at my mom before staring me down. My mom seemed to be in her own world, not really paying attention in any sense of the word. I didn't bother to make eye contact but I shook my head no. "Good. Now once you finish eating, go shower and go in your room."

I simply nodded my head, mentally preparing myself the best that I could for the inevitable. I finished eating as fast as I could, dumped my plate and washed it and headed off to the shower. I locked the door to the bathroom, turned the water on and kneeled on the floor quickly, throwing up everything that I had just ate without missing a beat. I was regretting everything. Why did I come here? Why hadn't I listened to Huey? Why here, of all places? I turned on the shower and stepped in, getting lost in my thoughts. I had already been doing so well and I willingly turned around and subjected myself to what was to come.

I don't know how long it was before the water ran cold, then freezing but I stayed in until I was shivering. I stepped out and wrapped a towel around me before walking out and heading straight to my bathroom. I froze up when I heard slightly moaning and the sound of suckling coming from the living room. My heart sped up and I ran the rest of the way to my room, closing the door behind me as quickly but as quietly as I could.

My room was slightly more empty then I had left it, not much but enough to be noticeable. It made me glad that I had took the more valuable and important things with me to the Freeman's house. I went over to my dresser and to the bottom drawer and grabbed some clothes to wear before sitting on my bed. I took my phone out the pocket of the sweatpants I was wearing and looked at it blankly. I would keep it and hide it, until I really needed it. I would have to wait until I was home alone before I called my dad and couldn't let the battery die so I turned it on silent and turned it off before tucking it in a shoe box in the back of my closet. I would just have to lie and say that I didn't bring it and hope that it would be at least semi-believable.

I sat on the bed quietly, listening to the noise outside and staring at my wall. My clock was gone, so I didn't even know what time it was. I knew he would come in eventually, but a small part hoped that my mom had satisfied Raekwon and he would leave me alone. At least for tonight. That didn't stop the bitterness that creeped onto my tongue when I heard the doorknob turn and the door open.

I could see Raekwon's silhouette in the darkness. "You really didn't let those lil niggas hit that sweet pussy, right?" I heard the shuffling of his jeans and the bed dipped as he knelt on it.

"No, I promise," I replied meekly.

"Mmm, we'll see about that. I made your mom give me some top so I could last longer with you. Lord knows I missed you. Can't believe you had to nerve to just leave." I could finally see him, he was close enough that I could feel the heat of his skin on mine. He squeezed my cheeks roughly and shook his head at me. "Hurry the fuck up and take your clothes off."

I froze. I could feel his length sitting against my leg and I just couldn't move. He repeated himself and I shook my head, ready to start crying when he grasped at the bottom of my shirt and forcefully pulled it over my head, yanked my bra off, and pulled at my pants and underwear. I sat naked in front of him and I held back a sob as he started to kiss on my neck. He teased at my body for so long that I realized that there was a wetness seeping onto my thighs. But why? I didn't like any of this. I was crying, trying to not focus on him so why was I so wet? I didn't understand. He swiped between my legs, chuckling to himself when he felt the results of his ministrations.

"Oh yeah, that's that good shit," he muttered before switching my position slightly and positioning himself between my legs before quickly sliding inside me. It wasn't nearly as painful this time, but it hurt in so many ways - physically, mentally, spiritually. I stared at the ceiling, listening to the hasty thrusting he was doing half-heartedly. I was disgusting, I was turned on by this. Is that why I came back? Because I wanted it? Did I do something to deserve this? This time lasted so much longer than the first but it ended the same way.

He finished inside me and told me how good I felt, how I must have loved his dick because my pussy was so wet. That next time, he was going to make me cum, he promised. With that, he walked out and closed my door behind him.

I slowly rolled over on my side and balled up as tightly as I could into myself before pulling the covers over myself. It wasn't until daybreak when I finally fell asleep.

The next morning I was sore again. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, looking down at my body to see myself sitting in a pool of blood. Was it really that bad? I had hoped that the blood wouldn't be that bad this time around, but it was worse than the first time. I pulled the blanket over my bare body and walked out my room and to the bathroom. I could hear my mom in the living room but it didn't feel like Raekwon was in the house.

I sat down on the toilet and wiped myself until there was no more blood before hunching over and putting my hands on my knees. I could hear and feel the semen dripping out of me so I grabbed another tissue to wipe and saw more blood. Red, bright blood…

My heart sped up happily in my chest. It was my period.

It was my period and I wasn't pregnant.


End file.
